Data Field Definitions

Data field definitions can be consulted for each of the following data sets:

Project Browser

Project Number
The first seven digits indicate a project, with the last three digits indicating a sub-project number. These Global Affairs Canada-assigned project numbers also appear in the data sent to the DAC-OECD to report on disbursements.
Date Modified
This date stamp indicates the day on which the project profile was published or modified. Modifications may include substantive changes to the data, such as status or budget updates, or cosmetic changes, such as correction of grammar errors in text fields.
Title
The project title as it appears in the Project Browser may not be exactly the same as it appeared in announcements or in the Proactive Disclosure reports. In the case of multi-donor projects, the title represents Global Affairs Canada's contribution only and is often different from the title used by all donors in the recipient country.
Description
The project description is for communications purposes. It usually describes the ultimate outcome, intermediate outcomes, and activities in plain language. If the project is part of a larger initiative, that initiative is usually described as well. Sometimes the description lists multiple partners; Global Affairs Canada's information systems allow only one to be coded in the system.
Status
Global Affairs Canada's projects progress through a life cycle of tentative, planning, operational, terminating, and closed. Global Affairs Canada only publishes project data after the project has been approved and is in operational status. Projects are usually moved into terminating status once activities have been completed and are changed to closed status once the final report has been accepted.
Start-End
The start and end dates are displayed in the following format: YYYY-MM-DD. The start date generally represents the date on which project activities begin. The end date represents the end of project activities by the partner or executing agency.
Country
This field indicates where the project is carried out. The location may be a country, territory, or region. A project may be carried out in more than one location. If so, the project description indicates an estimated percentage of project activities in each location. Global Affairs Canada's country pages contain more information on the department’s activities in each country. Visit Where we work to view these pages.
Executing Agency-Partner

The executing agency-partner can be a private firm, a non-governmental organization, an educational institution, an association, an institute, a government department, or any other individual or organization selected by Global Affairs Canada to implement the project or one of its components. "Information not available" may appear in the Executing agency-partner field when, for example, a project is operational but does not yet have an official executing agency.

Individual partner names may appear more than once in the drop-down list. This is due to errors made in the past in assigning more than one code to the same partner. Although these errors have generally been corrected in Global Affairs Canada's systems, some of the older projects that used duplicate codes are still published in the Project Browser, accounting for the duplication of the names in the list.

Please note that only one executing agency-partner can be entered in this field in Global Affairs Canada's information systems; if there are multiple partners in the project, they are usually listed in the description. Consequently, if you are using the executing agency-partner filter to generate a data set, the set will only contain those projects where the vendor chosen is the primary partner entered in this field.

Sector(s) of Focus
Global Affairs Canada-funded projects are categorized under eight broad sector headings: democratic governance, improving health, private sector development, strengthening basic education, environment, emergency assistance, peace and security, and other.
Sector
The sector labels and codes used are tertiary-level DAC sector codes. Global Affairs Canada's sector coding table for projects is based on the OECD sector code table, allowing all donors to compare and coordinate their projects.
Maximum Global Affairs Canada Contribution

The value indicated in Canadian dollars corresponds to the maximum amount approved by Global Affairs Canada for the project. When the project moves to closed status, the final amount of the contribution is posted. This value could be less than the maximum amount initially approved.

Note 1: The amount indicated does not automatically correspond to the amount in the contractual agreement with the organization responsible for executing the project because multiple agreements may have been signed for a single project or the amount approved may include monitoring and evaluation components. Also, Global Affairs Canada's contribution may represent only a portion of the project's total value, especially if other donors, the recipient country, or the Canadian partner invest equity in the project.

Note 2: The amounts listed in the Project Browser data and in the DAC-OECD data for any given year will usually be different. The Project Browser contribution amount reflects a planned, or partially disbursed, multi-year budget in Canadian dollars, as currently entered in Global Affairs Canada's information systems, whereas the DAC-OECD contribution amount is in US dollars per calendar year, for past years, and includes contributions from other Canadian sources, not just Global Affairs Canada.

Note 3: The amounts listed in the Project Browser may not always match amounts announced. In some cases, the Project Browser budget data may appear to indicate a lesser amount than that announced because the project has been split into sub-projects, the profiles of which have yet to be published. In other cases, the Project Browser data may appear to indicate an amount greater than that announced because the announcement refers only to new funding added to an existing project or because administrative/evaluation funds have not been included in the announced amount.

Expected Results
The information summarized in this field represents results that are expected to be achieved by the project (primary intermediate expected outcomes and immediate expected outcomes). This field is new: information will only be available for projects approved after October 15, 2011.
Progress and Results Achieved

The information summarized in this field represents highlights of the project's accomplishments. Unless otherwise stated, the results are cumulative and based on the most current reports available. Results are reported for the project as a whole, not just Global Affairs Canada contribution.

It is usual for many development projects to have no results to report within the first two years of activities.

Because this field is a new feature, results achieved by most older projects (for example, projects already finished in previous years and now closed) will not be published at this time.

International Aid Transparency Initiative

These are the main data elements found in Global Affairs Canada's Activity File, listed in the order in which they appear in the file. In some cases, the descriptions may differ from similar fields found in Global Affairs Canada's International Development Project Browser or other data sets. These differences are highlighted.

For more information about the IATI Standard, including the definitions of the Activity elements and the codelists, please visit the IATI website.

Reporting Organisation
Name and unique identifier of the organization publishing the information. Global Affairs Canada is the reporting organization. Its Organisation Type Code is 10 for Government.
IATI Activity Identifier
Globally unique identifier for each project. It is made up of Global Affairs Canada's IATI Organisation Identifier (CA-3) and the Global Affairs Canada project number (as it appears in the Project Browser). The first seven digits of that number indicate a project, with the last three digits indicating a sub-project number. The Global Affairs Canada project number (rather than IATI's) also appears in the data sent to the OECD-DAC to report on disbursements.
Activity Title
Title of the project. This title may not be exactly the same as it appeared in public announcements or in the former CIDA's Proactive Disclosure reports. In the case of multi-donor projects, the title represents the former CIDA's contribution only and is often different from the title used by other donors.
Activity Description
Description of the project. This usually describes the goal and activities of the project in plain language. If the project is part of a larger initiative, that initiative is usually described as well. Sometimes the description lists multiple partners; at this time only the lead agency is reported.
Activity Status
Current stage of the project at the time the Activity File is published. Global Affairs Canada publishes project data once the project has been approved and is in the implementation stage (operational, in Global Affairs Canada terminology). Projects are usually moved into completion (terminating) status once activities have been completed, and go to post-completion (closed) status once the final report has been accepted.
Activity Dates
Start and end dates of the project. The start date corresponds to the date the project becomes operational (implementation stage). The end date corresponds to the planned or actual end of activities (or last payment) of the project.
Activity Contacts
Contact details for the project. Global Affairs Canada's email and mailing addresses are provided for those seeking additional information about a project.
Activity Website
Link to implementing agency's website. In most cases, implementing partners provide information on individual activities on their website. In some cases, the website might be available in English or French only, or in the language of the implementing partner's country.
Participating Organisation

Funding: The country or institution that provides the funds. Canada is the default value.

Extending: The government entity or agency within an institution that finances the activity within its own budget. The former CIDA was the extending organization until June 26, 2013. For all projects with a start date of June 26, 2013 or after, Global Affairs Canada is the extending organization.

Implementing: The intermediary between the extending agency and the ultimate beneficiary, also known as the executing agency. It can be a private firm, a non-governmental organization, an educational institution, an association, an institute, a government department, or any other individual or organization selected to implement the project or one of its components. "Uncoded" may appear when, for example, a project is operational but does not yet have an official executing agency.

Organizations' names may show some variation because of errors made in the past in assigning more than one code to the same organization. Although these errors have generally been corrected in Global Affairs Canada's systems, some of the older projects that used duplicate codes are still published.

Currently, only the lead executing agency can be entered in this field in Global Affairs Canada's information systems. If there are multiple partners executing the project, they are usually listed in the description. Consequently, if the Implementing field is being used as a filter to generate a data set, the file will only contains the vendor identified as the primary partner.

At this time, Global Affairs Canada does not use the IATI Organisation Identifiers or the Organisation Type Code for all of its implementing agencies. In the July 2013 file, the IATI Organisation Identifier is provided for multilateral organisations.

Recipient Country
This element contains the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) code of the country for whose benefit the aid is provided. In the case of a project taking place in several countries, the file includes a percentage of the project value allocated to each country. Global Affairs Canada's international development country pages contain more information on its activities in each country. Visit Where we work to view these pages.
Recipient Region
This element contains the IATI code for the supra-national region for whose benefit the aid is provided. At this time, it is used only for projects that cannot be coded to specific countries. This includes projects that are regional in nature, for instance benefiting regional institutions, or membership organizations with specific geographic reach (e.g. Asia Development Bank). The project description provides information about the scope of the project.
Activity Documents
Links to the project's objective(s) published on Project Browser.
Planned Disbursements
Disbursements and expenditures expected in the project. Planned disbursements are published per Canadian fiscal year, on a three-year rolling basis (or until the end of the project). Plans are reported with the caveat that these are planning figures and that funds committed are subject to Parliamentary approval of the Government of Canada's annual budget.
Organization Unique Identifiers
Globally unique identifiers for organizations. For non-governmental organizations (e.g. civil society, private sector) based in Canada, the Unique Identifier consists of the country ISO code (CA), the governing body for the organisation's number (Canadian Revenue Agency, CRA_ARC) and the organisation's Business Number (123456789). For example, a Canadian organization's Unique Identifier would be CA-CRA_ARC-123456789. All IATI publishers are expected to use the same Unique Identifier for a given organization. Additional information on Unique Identifiers for non-Canadian organizations is available on the IATI website.
Activity Budget

At this time, the value indicated in Canadian dollars corresponds to the maximum amount approved by the former Global Affairs Canada for the project (and is similar to the amount in the Project Browser).

Note 1: The amount indicated does not automatically correspond to the amount in the contractual agreement with the lead implementing organization (as indicated in the former CIDA's Proactive Disclosure pages), because multiple agreements may have been signed for a single project or the amount approved may include monitoring and evaluation components.

Note 2: The amounts listed in the Activity File, in Global Affairs Canada's Project Browser, and in the OECD-DAC data for any given year will usually be different. The amount published in the Activity File and the Project Browser reflects a planned, or partially disbursed, multi-year budget in Canadian dollars, as currently entered in Global Affairs Canada's information systems. The amount reported to the OECD-DAC is expressed in US dollars on a calendar year basis.

Note 3: The amounts published may not always match amounts publicly announced. In some cases, the budget data may appear to indicate a lesser amount than that announced because the project has been split into sub-projects, for which profiles have yet to be published. In other cases, the data may appear to indicate an amount greater than that announced because the announcement refers only to new funding added to an existing project.

General/Detailed Sector
Specific area(s) of the recipient's economic or social development that the transfer intends to foster, also known as the purpose codes. The sector labels and codes used are tertiary-level OECD-DAC sector codes. Global Affairs Canada's sector coding table for projects is based on the OECD-DAC sector code table, allowing all donors to compare and coordinate their projects.
Policy/Thematic Markers
Indicators tracking key policy issues. At this time, only DAC policy markers are published in the IATI file.
Collaboration Type
Information on the character of the resource flows/disbursements e.g. bilateral or multilateral. Corresponds to OECD-DAC field.
Finance Type
Identifies the financial instrument used for the project e.g. grant, loan, etc. Corresponds to the OECD-DAC field.
Flow Type
Identifies the type of flow of the project e.g. official development assistance, other official flows, private flows, etc. Corresponds to OECD-DAC field.
Aid Type
Identifies the type of assistance provided in the project e.g. budget support, sector budget support, core support, project support, etc. Corresponds to OECD-DAC field.
Conditions
Identifies the type of conditions attached to the project. Consult the complete list of conditions.
Results - Expected
The results expected to be achieved by the project are summarized at the outcome level. This information is only available for projects approved after October 15, 2011.
Results - Achieved
The information summarized in this field represents highlights of the project's accomplishments. Unless otherwise stated, the results are cumulative and based on the most current reports available. Results are reported for the project as a whole, not just the Global Affairs Canada contribution. Results achieved by older projects may not be available. In addition, please note that many former development projects do not have results to report within the first two years of activities.
Activity Scope
The geographical area covered by the project. The scope is defined by the IATI codelist and can be global, regional, national, sub-national, etc.
Location ID
Unique identifier for the location, found in a recognized gazetteer (a geographical index).
Name
Name of the location, taken from a recognized gazetteer. This name might appear in the official language of the recipient country.
Administrative
Identifies the national or sub-national divisions of the project’s location according to a recognized gazetteer. This element contains the hierarchical level being reported (level 0 is the national boundary, level 1 is the first-level administrative sub-division, etc.); followed by the location identifier code; and an IATI code for the gazetteer that was used to extract this information.
Point
The latitude and longitude coordinates of the location (indicated in the format “latitude, longitude”). This element also includes the name of the spatial reference system used by the coordinates. By default: http://www.opengis.net/def/crs/EPSG/0/4326
Exactness
Defines whether the location represents the exact location for this project or an approximate location (due to lack of more detailed information).
Location Reach
Identifies whether the location represents the area where the intended beneficiaries reside or an implementation site.
Location Class
Describes the nature of the location: an administrative division, a populated place (e.g. city or village), a structure, or another topographical feature (e.g. river, nature reserve). The location may refer to one of the four Location Class Codes as defined by the IATI codelist.
Feature Designation
Defines a more refined coded classification of the type of feature referred to by the project location, as defined by the IATI codelist.
Annual forward planning budget data
According to the IATI standard, this is the total international development budget for each of the next three years, as submitted to Parliament or the organisation’s board. The numbers in this field are those reported in the former Global Affairs Canada's Report on Plans and Priorities.
The annual forward planning budget for funded institutions
According to the IATI standard, this is the budget for each of the next three years for institutions that receive core funding from the donor. Global Affairs Canada publishes the sum of approved international development commitments to key organisations. As the IATI standard does not currently allow the publication of bilingual names of organisations, the file contains the organisations' identification numbers (which can be found on the IATI or DAC websites). The amounts published for later years will likely be lower than expected, as they do not include commitments not yet approved.
The annual forward planning budget data for countries
According to the IATI standard, this is the budget for assistance to each recipient country for the next three to five years. Global Affairs Canada publishes the planned country-programmable aid spending for the next three years for its countries of focus, and the sum of approved international development commitments for the next three years for other key developing countries. The countries are identified by their ISO country code. The amounts published for later years will likely be lower than expected, as they do not include commitments not yet approved.
Organisation documents
This is a link to public documents that relate to the work program of the organisation.
Other identifier
Where populated, these are the identification numbers corresponding to the project in the DAC-OECD Creditor Reporting System (CRS).
Tied/Untied
Amount of the project that is tied, Untied, or Partially Untied Aid in Canadian dollars, according to OECD-DAC definitions:
  • Untied Aid-grants and contributions which are freely and fully available to finance procurement from substantially all aid recipient countries and from OECD countries (including Canada). Funds provided to finance the recipient's local costs are also defined as untied.
  • Tied Aid-grants and contributions which are either tied to procurement of goods and services from the donor country or which are subject to procurement modalities implying limited geographic procurement eligibility other than those described under partially untied aid.
  • Partially Untied Aid-grants and contributions which are in effect tied to procurement of goods and services from the donor country and from a restricted number of countries which must include substantially all aid recipient countries.
Disbursements transactions
Disbursements under the project, in Canadian Dollars, and the date on which the disbursement was registered (posting date).

Statistical Report on International Assistance — by Multilateral Organization

Fiscal Year
Refers to the fiscal year in which the disbursements (refer to Amount spent) were made. Global Affairs Canada uses the fiscal-year basis adopted by the Government of Canada (April to March). For example, the 2009−2010 fiscal year began April 1, 2009, and ended March 31, 2010.
Branch identification, Branch name, Division identification, Division name, Section identification, Section name, Fund centre identification, Fund centre name
These fields represent Global Affairs Canada's areas of responsibility for budgetary monitoring and reporting. Use these fields to identify which part of Global Affairs Canada's organization is managing the project. Global Affairs Canada's four main programming branches are the Geographic Programs Branch (B3000), Afghanistan and Pakistan Task Force (D4125), Multilateral and Global Programs Branch (B5100), and Partnership with Canadians (B6100). Branches are composed of divisions, sections, and fund centres, which represent descending levels of management responsibility where fund centres represent the lowest level of the organization.
Project Number
This is a unique identifier used to identify projects in Global Affairs Canada's information systems. The first seven digits indicate a project, while the last three digits indicate a sub-project number. These Global Affairs Canada-assigned project numbers also appear in the data sent to the OECD/DAC.
Global Affairs Canada Business Delivery Model
Represents Global Affairs Canada's business management practices, which are structured around three program-neutral delivery models: long-term institutional support, directive, and responsive. Each business delivery model has been designed to allow for the discharge of specific accountabilities in channelling resources to achieve Canadian development objectives:
  • Long-term institutional support—used when Global Affairs Canada chooses to support entities (organizations, institutions or recipient countries) taking part in development initiatives that should yield development results reflecting Global Affairs Canada goals and objectives.
  • Directive—used when Global Affairs Canada takes the lead in designing development initiatives that may eventually be implemented by Global Affairs Canada or through another organization under Global Affairs Canada's supervision.
  • Responsive—used when Global Affairs Canada agrees to support development initiatives conceived by an external proponent that are consistent with the goals and objectives of Global Affairs Canada's programs.
Project Browser URL
Points to the project's profile on the Global Affairs Canada Project Browser. As the Project Browser was created in 2004 and is a work in progress, some project profiles are not available. In addition, some of Global Affairs Canada's multilateral projects are not yet published in the Project Browser.
Organization identification, Organization name
The organization(s) receiving Global Affairs Canada funding to implement the project or one of its components. "Information not available" will appear for instances where it is not appropriate to disclose all of the information associated with a specific contract, grant, or contribution (that is, where disclosing the details of a contract, grant, or contribution may jeopardize national security or the protection of the individuals concerned).
Organization type
The type of multilateral organizations as reported in the Statistical Report on Financial Assistance. In this data set, a multilateral organization is classified as one of the following:
  • Main international development institutions
  • International financial institutions
  • Humanitarian assistance institutions
  • Regional multilateral organizations
  • Multilateral organizations and peace and security missions
  • La Francophonie and Commonwealth
  • Other multilateral organizations
Parent organization identification, Parent organization
Certain institutions belong to a larger network of organizations that work together toward a common goal. This field allows the tracking of total expenditures for the whole (parent) organization. For example, each research centre that is part of the Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR) consortium is given the Parent organization identification "CGIAR".
United Nations flag
This field allows the identification of United Nations (UN) organizations, including specialized agencies. A value of "1" means that the organization is part of the UN system.
Comparability
In order to compare fiscal years, this data set was prepared using the most recent reporting methodologies and classifications (as presented in the latest Statistical Report on Financial Assistance). Data prior to 2007-2008 were normalized and may differ slightly from figures presented in the print versions of the statistical reports. For example, all expenditures are reported on an encashment basis and exclude the change in value of investments in international financial institutions, whereas this may not have been the case prior to 2007-2008.

Historical Project

Status
Global Affairs Canada's projects progress through a life cycle of tentative, planning, operational, terminating, and closed. Global Affairs Canada only publishes project data after the project has been approved and is in operational status. Projects are usually moved into terminating status once activities have been completed and are changed to closed status once the final report has been accepted.
Amount spent
This value, indicated in Canadian dollars, corresponds to the money paid out by Global Affairs Canada. Each line in the Historical Project Data Set contains a value, which represents the lowest and most detailed level: the estimated amount paid out to an organization to implement an aid project, in whole or in part, for a specific fiscal year, for a given location (country or region) and for a given sector. Unlike the maximum Global Affairs Canada contribution, this field can be aggregated at any level (fiscal year, country, sector, organization, delivery model, etc). Note that an assumption is made that every organization implementing a Global Affairs Canada aid project works in all estimated countries and sectors, which may not always be the case.
Fiscal year
Refers to the fiscal year in which the disbursements (refer to Amount spent) were made. Global Affairs Canada uses the fiscal-year basis adopted by the Government of Canada (April to March). For example, the 2009−2010 fiscal year began April 1, 2009, and ended March 31, 2010.
Project number
This is a unique identifier used to identify projects in Global Affairs Canada's information systems. The first seven digits indicate a project, while the last three digits indicate a sub-project number. These Global Affairs Canada-assigned project numbers also appear in the data sent to the OECD/DAC. Note that in the Historical Data Set, any given project number could repeat over several rows because implementation through multiple organizations and across several countries and sectors is common.
Branch identification, Branch name, Division identification, Division name, Section identification, Section name, Fund centre identification, Fund centre name
These fields represent Global Affairs Canada's areas of responsibility for budgetary monitoring and reporting. Use these fields to identify which part of Global Affairs Canada's organization is managing the project. Global Affairs Canada's four main programming branches are the Geographic Programs Branch (B3000), Afghanistan and Pakistan Task Force (D4125), Multilateral and Global Programs Branch (B5100), and Partnership with Canadians (B6100). Branches are composed of divisions, sections and fund centres, which represent descending levels of management responsibility, where funds centres represent the lowest level of the organization.
Regional program (marker)
Use the regional program marker to single out regional programs managed by Global Affairs Canada's Geographic Programs Branch (refer to Branch identification and Branch name) that address the regional issues countries of a region face together.
Maximum Global Affairs Canada contribution (project-level)

This value, indicated in Canadian dollars, corresponds to the maximum budget amount approved by Global Affairs Canada for the project at the time of the Historical Project Data Set update. When the project moves to closed status (refer to Status), the final amount of the contribution is posted. This value could be less than the maximum amount initially approved.

Important: The value of this field represents the total budget for the project. Given that project numbers can repeat over several rows (refer to Project number), adding this data field as part of a summary will cause double counting and lead to erroneous statistics.

Untied amount (project-level)
This value, indicated in Canadian dollars, corresponds to the untied portion of the maximum Global Affairs Canada contribution. As for the maximum Global Affairs Canada contribution field, when the project moves to closed status (refer to Status), the final amount of the contribution is posted. This value could be less than the maximum amount initially approved. Similarly, the untied amount value represents a total at the project level and should not be added as part of a summary total. Refer to Note 3 for more information on tied and untied aid.
FSTC percent
The estimated percentage of the project that is considered free-standing technical cooperation (FSTC). It comprises activities whose primary purpose is to augment the level of knowledge, skills, technical abilities, or productive aptitudes of the population of developing countries, that is, increasing their stock of human intellectual capital or their capacity for more effective use of their existing factor endowment. This relates essentially to activities involving the supply of human resources (teachers, volunteers and experts—or technical cooperation personnel) or action targeted on human resources (education, training, advice). Associated supplies are also classified as technical cooperation.
IRTC percent
The estimated percentage of the project that is considered investment-related technical cooperation (IRTC). It is defined as the financing of services with the primary purpose of contributing to the design and/or implementation of a project or program aimed at increasing the physical capital stock of the recipient country.
Project Browser URL
Points to the project's profile on the Global Affairs Canada project data bank. Note that as the Project Browser was created in 2004 and is a work in progress, some project profiles are not available. In addition, many of Global Affairs Canada's multilateral projects are not yet published in the Project Browser.
Global Affairs Canada business delivery model
Represents Global Affairs Canada's business management practices structured around three program-neutral delivery models: long-term institutional support, directive and responsive. Each business delivery model has been designed to allow for the discharge of specific accountabilities in channelling resources to achieve Canadian development objectives:
  • Long-term institutional support—used when Global Affairs Canada chooses to support entities (organizations, institutions, or recipient countries) taking part in development initiatives that should yield development results corresponding to Global Affairs Canada goals and objectives.
  • Directive—used when Global Affairs Canada takes the lead in designing development initiatives that may eventually be implemented by Global Affairs Canada or through another organization under Global Affairs Canada's supervision.
  • Responsive—used when Global Affairs Canada agrees to support development initiatives conceived by an outside proponent that are consistent with the goals and objectives of Global Affairs Canada's programs.
Bilateral aid (international marker)
This field identifies bilateral aid (value = 1) as defined in the OECD/DAC directives, in which bilateral aid is effectively defined as any spending other than long-term institutional support to multilateral organizations (value = 0).Bilateral aid is characterized as aid in which the donor retains effective control of specific aspects of the investment, such as identifying the recipient country, sector, or other elements of fund disbursements. Bilateral aid can be undertaken by Canada:
  • directly with a developing country
  • with national or international non-governmental organizations active in development
  • through internal development-related transactions, such as interest subsidies, spending on development awareness, debt reorganization, and administrative costs
  • with multilateral organizations, when Canada effectively controls the disbursement of funds and retains a role specifying other aspects of the investment
Program-based approach type
Program-based approaches (PBAs) are a way of engaging in development cooperation based on the principles of co-ordinated support for a locally owned development program, such as a national development strategy, a sector or thematic program, or a specific organization's program. PBAs share the following features: leadership by the recipient country organization; a single comprehensive program and budget framework; and a formalized process for donor co-ordination and harmonization of donor procedures for reporting, budgeting, financial management and procurement. There are four possible values for this field:
  • General budget support (GBS) - A general contribution to a recipient country's overall budget where the policy dialogue between donors and the country government is focused on overall policy and budget priorities.
  • Sectoral budget support (SBS) - Similar to GBS but is earmarked to a discrete sector or sectors, with any conditionality relating to these sectors.
  • Pooled funding - An arrangement negotiated between multiple donors and the recipient to finance a specific program. Pooled funding involves donor control or oversight upon release of funds to the recipient country and in terms of financial reporting, which is expected to show how the funds were used. The scope of the use of the pooled funds may be very broad, but more typically such funds are focused on a subset of sector activities.
  • Other PBA support - Other PBA support, such as project funding, can be used within a PBA with the use of Global Affairs Canada funds for specific activities. Projects carried out in the context of a PBA often take place as agreed elements within a sector-wide approach. As such, they are distinct from stand-alone projects. They are characterized by the adoption of a more collaborative approach to decision making and the close involvement of the recipient country or organization in the project design and management.
Policy markers (Environmental sustainability; Climate change adaptation; Climate change mitigation; Desertification; Participatory development and good governance; Trade development; Biodiversity; Urban issues; Children issues; Youth issues; Indigenous issues; Disability issues; Information and communications technologies as a tool for development; Knowledge for development)
The data set contains 15 policy markers. These policy markers are descriptive rather than quantitative. The indicators are complementary to the sector classification (refer to Sector identification, Sector name). Policy markers, however, are not directly associated to expenditures and apply to the whole investment. They cover the areas of economic well-being, social development, environment sustainability and regeneration, democratic accountability, protection of human rights, and the rule of law. Data collection on the policy objectives of aid is based on a marking system with three values, with the exception of gender equality, which has four possible values (refer to Policy markers—Gender equality).
Policy markers—Gender equality
Unlike other policy markers, the gender equality marker can have four possible values, the meaning of which also depends on the Global Affairs Canada business delivery model (that is, directive and responsive vs. long-term institutional support). As indicated by Global Affairs Canada's Policy on Gender Equality, gender equality must be explicitly and systematically integrated into all of Global Affairs Canada's policies, programs and investments. Global Affairs Canada measures the level of integration into the Agency's investments (for directive and responsive programming) or the capacity of an institution to integrate gender equality (for long-term institutional support).
Organization identification, Organization name
The organization(s) receiving Global Affairs Canada funding to implement the project or one of its components. "Information not available" will appear for instances where it is not appropriate to disclose all of the information associated with a specific contract, grant, or contribution (that is, where disclosing the details of a contract, grant, or contribution may jeopardize national security or the protection of the individuals concerned).
Organization type, Organization class, Organization sub-class
The organization implementing a Global Affairs Canada project can be a private firm, a non-governmental organization, an educational institution, an association, an institute, a government department, or any other individual or organization selected by Global Affairs Canada to implement the project or one of its components. Three fields allow for the classification of organizations.
Organization type (origin, for-profit/not-for-profit)
There are five possible values for this field:
  • Canadian non-profit making
  • Canadian profit making
  • Foreign non-profit making
  • Foreign profit making
  • Information not available
Organization class
Classification of organizations according to the general sector they belong to in society. There are six possible values: Governmental, Multilateral, Civil society, Individual, Paragovernmental, and Information not available.
Organization sub-class
Allows for further classification of organizations. When combined with the organization class, there are 29 possible combinations, as illustrated:
  • Governmental
    • Federal
    • Municipal
    • Provincial
  • Multilateral
    • International financial institution
    • Other multilateral
    • Regional organization
    • United Nations
  • Civil society
    • Associations
    • Candidate
    • College
    • Consulting services
    • Contractor In construction
    • Co-operative
    • Credit financial institution
    • Election observer/expert
    • International non-governmental organization
    • Manufacturers
    • Non-governmental organization
    • Professional association
    • Specialized institute
    • Supplier of goods/services
    • Trainee
    • Umbrella organization
    • Union
    • University
    • Volunteer sending agency
  • Individual
    • Candidate
    • Conference delegate
    • Consultant
    • Cooperant
  • Paragovernmental
    • Crown corporations
Country/Region identification, Country/Region name, Country/Region percent, Project Browser country identification

These fields indicate where the project is carried out. The location may be a country or a region. Additionally, a project may be carried out in more than one location. The country/Region percent field indicates the estimated percentage of project activities in each location. Country identifications are based on the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 convention, while the Region identifications are based on a number of conventions, including lists maintained by the United Nations Statistics Division, the Development Assistance Committee questionnaire, as well as on Global Affairs Canada's internal system conventions.

In the Historical Project Data Set, the preferred method for aggregating country/region level statistics is to use the Country/Region identification and the Country/Region name fields. While, the Project Browser country identification matches the presentation in Global Affairs Canada's Project Browser, it is not compatible with the methodology used to produce official country-level statistics (refer to Note 2).

Continent identification, Continent name
These fields indicate the continent(s) in which the project is carried out. The continent-to-mapping convention is based on the Composition of macro geographical (continental) regions list published by the United Nations Statistics Division.
Sector identification, Sector name, Sector percent
The sector labels and codes used are tertiary-level DAC sector codes. Global Affairs Canada's sector coding table for projects is based on the OECD sector code table, allowing all donors to compare and coordinate their projects. Sectors refer to the specific area of the recipient's economic or social structure the aid is intended to foster. Many projects foster more than one sector. The sector percent field estimates the actual cost (or best estimate thereof) for achieving a particular output.
Note 1
The amounts listed in the Project Browser data and in the OECD/DAC data for any given year will usually be different. The Project Browser contribution amount reflects a planned, or partially disbursed, multi-year budget in Canadian dollars, as currently entered in Global Affairs Canada's information systems, whereas the OECD/DAC contribution amount is in US dollars per calendar year, for past years, and includes contributions from other Canadian sources, not just Global Affairs Canada.
Note 2
For the majority of Global Affairs Canada's projects, identifying the aid recipient(s) is straightforward. For certain projects, however, estimating the amount of Global Affairs Canada's aid going to a specific country/region can be complex. This is especially true for multilateral aid, when Global Affairs Canada provides general financial support to multilateral organizations whose actions are compatible with Global Affairs Canada's objectives. A similar situation happens with regional programs that address regional issues countries of a region face together. Often, the exact recipient countries are not well known in advance. In the case of long-term institutional support, Global Affairs Canada relies on the reporting of multilateral organizations to the OECD/DAC. Other times, Global Affairs Canada project officers make the best available estimate on project creation and review those estimates as the project evolves. This, in part, explains the minor discrepancies between the Historical Data Set and the Statistical Report on Financial Assistance.
Note 3

Tied aid is a practice that requires aid funds be used for the procurement of goods and services in the donor country or in a limited number of countries. This practice has, in most cases, a negative impact on cost efficiency and aid effectiveness, as it can limit competition, increase transportation costs, delay the delivery of goods, prevent capacity building in developing countries, and result in the provision of products that are not adapted to local conditions.

Starting in 2001, OECD/DAC members agreed to untie certain categories of aid to least developed countries (LDCs), as stated in the DAC Recommendation on Untying ODA (PDF, 1 MB, 15 pages), amended in 2006 and 2008. In the 2008 Accra Agenda for Action, Canada and other donors committed to make further progress in untying aid, to extend coverage to heavily indebted poor countries (HIPCs), and to improve reporting on untying. The recommendation does not restrict the prerogative of DAC members to untie official development assistance to a greater extent. As such, in addition to untying all of its food aid as of April 1, 2008, the Minister of International Cooperation announced in September 2008 that, by 2012-­2013, all Canadian aid will be untied as per the amended DAC recommendation and that untying would apply to all countries receiving Canadian aid (not only some groups, such as LDCs and HIPCs).

Management services and technical cooperation (refer to FSTC percent) are excluded from the specific coverage of the DAC recommendation. In other words, untying is encouraged but not mandatory for projects falling into those categories; aid effectiveness and programming are the decisive factors.

Maternal, Newborn and Child Health

Fiscal year
Refers to the fiscal year in which the disbursements (refer to Amount spent) were made. Global Affairs Canada uses the fiscal-year basis adopted by the Government of Canada (April to March). For example, the 2014−2015 fiscal year began April 1, 2014, and will end March 31, 2015.
Commitment
Indicates if the project belongs to the Muskoka Initiative ($1.1B) or to the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Baseline ($1.75B).
Branch name
This field represents Global Affairs Canada's area of responsibility for budgetary monitoring and reporting. Use this field to identify which part of Global Affairs Canada's organization is managing the project. Global Affairs Canada's four main development programming branches are the Geographic Programs Branch (B3000), Afghanistan and Pakistan Task Force (D4125), Multilateral and Global Programs Branch (B5100), and Partnership with Canadians (B6100).
Project number
This is a unique identifier used to identify projects in Global Affairs Canada's information systems. The first seven digits indicate a project, while the last three digits indicate a sub-project number. These numbers also appear in the data sent to the OECD/DAC. Note that in this data set, any given project number could repeat over several rows because implementation across several countries and sectors is common.
Project title
The project title as it appears in the Project Browser or this file may not be exactly the same as it appeared in announcements or in the Proactive Disclosure reports. In the case of multi-donor projects, the title represents Global Affairs Canada's contribution only and is often different from the title used by all donors in the recipient country.
Continent name
These fields indicate the continent(s) in which the project is carried out. The continent-to-mapping convention is based on the Composition of macro geographical (continental) regions list published by the United Nations Statistics Division.
Country/Region identification code, Country/Region name, Country/Region percent
These fields indicate where the project is carried out. The location may be a country or a region. Additionally, a project may be carried out in more than one location. The country/Region percent field indicates the estimated percentage of project activities in each location. Country identifications are based on the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 convention, while the Region identifications are based on a number of conventions, including lists maintained by the United Nations Statistics Division, the Development Assistance Committee questionnaire, as well as on Global Affairs Canada's internal system conventions.
Sector identification code, Sector name, Sector percent
The sector labels and codes used are tertiary-level DAC sector codes. Global Affairs Canada's sector coding table for projects is based on the OECD sector code table, allowing all donors to compare and coordinate their projects. Sectors refer to the specific area of the recipient's economic or social structure the aid is intended to foster. Many projects foster more than one sector. The sector percent field estimates the actual cost (or best estimate thereof) for achieving a particular output.
Amount spent
This value, indicated in Canadian dollars, corresponds to the money paid out by Global Affairs Canada. Each line contains a value, which represents the lowest and most detailed level: the estimated amount paid out to an organization to implement an aid project, in whole or in part, for a specific fiscal year, for a given location (country or region) and for a given sector. Unlike the maximum contribution field, this field can be aggregated at any level (fiscal year, country, sector, organization, delivery model, etc). Note that an assumption is made that every organization implementing an aid project works in all estimated countries and sectors, which may not always be the case.
Multilateral G8 Methodology
The project uses the imputed percentage attributed to multilateral contributions according to the G8 Muskoka 2010 Methodology for Calculating Baselines and Commitments.
Thematic Priority
This refers to the Government of Canada’s three priority themes for development: increasing food security, securing the future of children and youth, and stimulating sustainable economic growth.
MNCH Code
This code is from the G8 Muskoka 2010 Methodology for Calculating Baselines and Commitments. For multilateral contributions, the code represents the organization funded. For bilateral contributions under the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Baseline, the code indicates the Sector identification used.
MNCH Percentage
This is the imputed percentage attributed to multilateral contributions according to the G8 Muskoka 2010 Methodology for Calculating Baselines and Commitments.
Muskoka Path
This text information shows which of the Muskoka paths the project contributes to: strengthening health systems; reducing the burden of diseases; or improving nutrition. Some projects contribute to more than one path.
MNCH Amount Spent
This value, indicated in Canadian dollars, corresponds to the amount disbursed under the Muskoka Initiative or the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Baseline.
Note:
The amounts listed in the Project Browser data and in the OECD/DAC data for any given year will usually be different. The Project Browser contribution amount reflects a planned, or partially disbursed, multi-year budget in Canadian dollars, as currently entered in Global Affairs Canada's information systems, whereas the OECD/DAC contribution amount is in US dollars per calendar year, for past years, and includes contributions from other Canadian sources, not just Global Affairs Canada.